Demonland

Melbourne came close to causing an upset at both meetings last year after giving Port a start. Now's the time ... THE TEAMS PORT ADELAIDE B: Cam O'Shea, Jack Hombsch, Dom Cassisi. HB: Matthew Broadbent, Tom Jonas, Jasper Pittard C: Jared Polec, Travis Boak, Kane Cornes HF: Paul Stewart, Justin Westhoff, Matt White F: Robbie Gray, Jay Schulz, Chad Wingard FOLL: Matthew Lobbe, Ollie Wines, Brad Ebert I/C: Hamish Hartlett, Jarman Impey, Benjamin Newton, Aaron Young EMG: Thomas Logan, Sam Gray, John Butcher IN: John Butcher, Dom Cassisi, Benjamin Newton, Paul Stewart OUT: Sam Gray, Thomas Logan, Kane Mitchell (all omitted) MELBOURNE B: Colin Garland, James Frawley, Lynden Dunn HB: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Jeremy Howe C: Jack Grimes, Bernie Vince, Jordie McKenzie HF: Jack Viney, Cameron Pedersen, Jack Watts F: Rohan Bail, Chris Dawes, Aidan Riley FOLL: Mark Jamar, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson I/C: Dean Kent, Sam Blease, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Luke Tapscott EMG: Viv Michie, Max Gawn, Dean Terlich IN: Sam Blease, Jay Kennedy-Harris OUT: Matt Jones, Dean Terlich

DEES MAKE IT THREE IN A ROW by Georgina on the Inner It’s not clear how history will treat the current round of AFL women's matches between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs but, in the meantime, why not bask in the glow of victory for a third time in a row? Despite being held goalless in the second and third quarters, probably in sympathy with the men’s team in recent times which has had that honour on several occasions, the Dees won the low scoring game by eight points kicking 4.13.37 to 4.5.29. The team got on top early to lead by 13 points at quarter time and fought hard throughout, as evidenced by injuries to defender Cecilia McIntosh (knee) and Ellie Blackburn (ankle). Kara Donnellan picked up 23 possessions and emulated Nathan Jones with that hard at it effort which included four tackles on her way to winning MVP for the game. Most observers were surprised at the high standard and it should not be long before we have an elite competition perhaps based on AFL lines. When that happens, the Melbourne Football Club will be recognised not only as the pioneering team in the sport for men but also for women. When the men’s team knocked off the Scraggers later in the day, it marked a perfect weekend for the club with both Casey teams winning the day before. Melbourne 3.3.21 3.8.26 3.11.29 4.13.37 Western Bulldogs 1.2.8 2.3.15 3.4.22 4.5.29 Goals Melbourne Bowers Harris Phillips Swanson Western Bulldogs Hope 2 Vescio Best Melbourne Donnellan Swanson Blackburn Pearce Blackburn Bowers Western Bulldogs Brennan Hope Anderson Hutchins Vescio Chiocci Injuries Melbourne McIntosh (knee) Blackburn (ankle) Western Bulldogs Nil

It’s not clear how history will treat the current round of AFL women's matches between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs but, in the meantime, why not bask in the glow of victory for a third time in a row? Despite being held goalless in the second and third quarters, probably in sympathy with the men’s team in recent times which has had that honour on several occasions, the Dees won the low scoring game by eight points kicking 4.13.37 to 4.5.29. The team got on top early to lead by 13 points at quarter time and fought hard throughout, as evidenced by injuries to defender Cecilia McIntosh (knee) and Ellie Blackburn (ankle). Kara Donnellan picked up 23 possessions and emulated Nathan Jones with that hard at it effort which included four tackles on her way to winning MVP for the game. Most observers were surprised at the high standard and it should not be long before we have an elite competition perhaps based on AFL lines. When that happens, the Melbourne Football Club will be recognised not only as the pioneering team in the sport for men but also for women. When the men’s team knocked off the Scraggers later in the day, it marked a perfect weekend for the club with both Casey teams winning the day before. Melbourne 3.3.21 3.8.26 3.11.29 4.13.37 Western Bulldogs 1.2.8 2.3.15 3.4.22 4.5.29 Goals Melbourne Bowers Harris Phillips Swanson Western Bulldogs Hope 2 Vescio Best Melbourne Donnellan Swanson Blackburn Pearce Blackburn Bowers Western Bulldogs Brennan Hope Anderson Hutchins Vescio Chiocci Injuries Melbourne McIntosh (knee) Blackburn (ankle) Western Bulldogs Nil

Tommy still holds sway but look who's coming - 101. Tom McDonald 47. Jesse Hogan 46. Nathan Jones 36. Jeffrey Garlett 34. Bernie Vince 30. Christian Salem Aaron vandenBerg 29. Daniel Cross Colin Garland 25. Cam Pedersen 22. Jack Viney 17. Angus Brayshaw 10. Neville Jetta 7. Jack Watts 6. Jack Grimes 5. Jimmy Toumpas 4. Lynden Dunn Mark Jamar Viv Michie Ben Newton 3. Heritier Lubumba 1. Dom Tyson

THE TIDE by Whispering Jack Before the game, I recalled the words of Brutus in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar:- "There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat, And we must take the current when it serves, Or lose our ventures." It's not that I'm a believer in the concept of the "line in the sand" but if it was ever needed at Melbourne in the past eight or nine seasons then this was the time to take the current and move forward. Three crushing defeats at the hands of clubs at the leading edge of the AFL competition, the last by three figures had left us wondering whether it was ever going to be possible to bridge the enormous chasm between the top echelon of the competition and those who struggle beneath them barely treading water. Something had to be done this week. A statement had to be made and it was made, perhaps not as eloquently as in the words of the great bard but made it was in the form of Melbourne's 39 point victory over the Western Bulldogs. The opening lines were delivered by youth. Young first season power forward Jesse Hogan marked 15 metres out and booted a goal in the first minute and then there was silence as the Bulldogs moved into action and dominated the next seventeen. They looked threatening without causing too much damage on the scoreboard but we feared that the flood would be unleashed at any time. In a moment of boredom when I was expecting the worst and even a possible early exit on a coolish evening, I looked up the statistics on the AFL ap on my iPhone and the inside 50 figures showed the Bulldogs in command by a whopping 16 to 1. And then the tide turned. A couple of behinds and two quick goals to Jimmy Toumpas and Cam Pedersen, two often maligned players and the Demons were on their way. They continued their dominance into the second term to set up a 20 point half time lead through the strength of their persistence and tackling and through some hard running. Jake Spencer was playing his best game for the club in the ruck. Nathan Jones was leading the way at ground level with great assistance from rookie revelation Aaron vandenBerg and Bernie Vince was doing the hard work nullifying the dangerous Marcus Bontempelli. The contrast between Hogan and the Bulldogs' key forward Tom Boyd (who was thrashed by Jack Fitzpatrick in his new role in defence) was marked as the Demon full-forward was a focus in attack combining perfectly with Pedersen. The Demons continued their surge well into the third term with goals to Howe and Hogan that saw them off to a 33 point lead but at that point both tragedy and comedy became the order of the day. A Tom McDonald lunge was adjudged by the video as being a fingertip short of stopping a goal and then a couple of cheap goals were gifted to the Doggies by Demon brain fades including one from the skipper who ignored or missed two players in the middle of the ground to kick backwards. Early in the final term, when the visitors had edged to within seven points, it seemed that tide had turned again but some clever combination between Hogan and Pedersen started an inexorable Demon march to victory. Jeremy Howe entertained the crowd with his weekly mark of the year contribution, Jeff Garlett and Bernie Vince booted some gem goals from impossible angles and Angus Brayshaw underlined his great potential with a sizzling final quarter. Melbourne learned a great deal over the three week period when it succumbed to those top sides and now it was its turn to treat an opponent with disdain as it ran down the clock playing keepings off with the despondent Dishlickers. The team would have learned a great deal from former Bulldog coach Brendan McCartney who knows his former charges very well and helped expose their weaknesses. The game was also a reward for Paul Roos who has been steadfast in overseeing the team's development and is steering them through treacherous currents and into calmer waters. Melbourne 3.3.21 7.5.47 10.10.70 10 15.13.103 Western Bulldogs 2.3.15 3.9.27 8.9.57 9.10.64 Goals Melbourne Hogan Pedersen 3 Toumpas Vince 2 Newton Garlett Howe M Jones N Jones Newton Western Bulldogs Stringer 2 Dale Dahlhaus Hunter Jong Picken Wallis Wood Best Melbourne vandenBerg N Jones Pedersen Hogan Vince Fitzpatrick Brayshaw Western Bulldogs Dahlhaus M Boyd Wallis Wood Changes Melbourne Nil Western Bulldogs Nil Injuries Melbourne Matt Jones (concussion) Western Bulldogs Brett Goodes (arm) Substitutions Melbourne Aidan Riley replaced Matt Jones in the third quarter Western Bulldogs Bailey Dale replaced Tom Boyd in the third quarter Reports Melbourne Nil Western Bulldogs Nil Umpires Robert Findlay, Andrew Mitchell, Curtis Deboy Official Crowd 29,381 at the MCG

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The Casey Scorpions reignited their finals hopes after suffering two disappointing defeats on the trot with a comfortable win over Richmond under lights at Casey Fields last night. Melbourne's outer south east can be inhospitable territory to visitors at the best of times but when it's freezing cold and only a couple of weeks away from the onset of winter, it can be downright unfriendly. The Scorpions gave their opponents no quarter as they led for most of the night before turning on the afterburners with a stunning seven goal final quarter. What made the victory even more meritorious was the fact that the Scorpions were down to a year's low of 9 AFL listed players and they lost ruckman Mark Jamar to a knock in the second quarter. Last year, that scenario would have been a complete disaster but thanks to some astute recruiting and the development of some of the younger Casey listed players, the Scorpions stood up to the Tigers and were not intimidated by their greater experience. Only four of the team's goals were kicked by Demons and three of those were booted by Big Max Gawn who stepped up to fill the rucking duties with Jamar's injury. Gawn's proficiency in the ruck duels constantly gave his onballers first use of the ball from the stoppages. Tim Smith kicked the opening goal after a fluid passage of play and after an even quarter, second gamer Jordan Moncrieff goalled after the siren to give the home team a seven point lead at the first break. Mitch White made that 13 points when he scored early but the Tigers regrouped for two goals and the game was an arm wrestle for a while until three consecutive majors for the Scorps gave them a handy 18 point break at half time. The game became a slog after the main break with plenty of mistakes and skill errors and there was still plenty left in the game at three quarter time with the Scorps leading by only 14 points. An early goal to the Tigers breathed an air of tension into the game but it was short lived. With another second gamer Bayley Fritsch getting in the goals and the tireless Gawn chiming in for some late ones, Casey romped home to win by 44 points and earn the rest which comes with next week's bye. From a Demon's viewpoint the club would be happy with the continuing development of youngsters Alex Neal-Bullen who was strong at the clearances, Mitch White whose disposal by foot was superb and Oscar McDonald who worked hard all night. Viv Michie and Dean Terlich were also good while Jordie McKenzie was strong in the contests. Casey would also be delighted with the way its VFL list is developing. 2015 Peter Jackson VFL Casey Scorpions 3.4.22 7.6.48 8.9.57 15.13.103 Richmond Tigers 2.13.15 4.6.30 6.7.43 8.11.59 Goals Casey Scorpions Fritsch Gawn 3 Moncrieff Smith 2 Morris Muir Petropoulos Rutherford White Richmond Tigers Aarts Short 2 Cachia Gordon Lennon McBean Best Casey Scorpions Gawn Michie Terlich Neal-Bullen White Hutchins Richmond Tigers Cachia Thomas Dea Castagna Lennon Hampson Statistics Max Gawn 3 goals 1 behind 21 disposals 15 kicks 6 handballs 9 marks 4 tackles 34 hit outs 152 dream team points James Harmes 2 behinds disposals 10 kicks 4 handballs 1 mark 5 tackles 1 hit out 61 dream team points Mark Jamar 1 behind 3 disposals 3 kicks 3 marks 3 hit outs 14dream team points [injured] Oscar McDonald 9 disposals 6 kicks 3 handballs 6 marks 1 tackle 43 dream team points Jordie McKenzie 23 disposals 10 kicks 13 handballs 5 marks 10 tackles 96 dream team points Viv Michie 25 disposals 19 kicks 6 handballs 4 marks 10 tackles 110 dream team points Alex Neal-Bullen 22 disposals 16 kicks 6 handballs 2 marks 3 tackles 1 hit out 79 dream team points Dean Terlich 16 disposals 14 kicks 2 handballs 8 marks 4 tackles 86 dream team points Mitch White 1 goal 19 disposals 15 kicks 4 handballs 8 marks 5 tackles 100 dream team points In the development league game played earlier in the day, Casey dominated proceedings and recorded another big victory. Again it was the recruits who stood out with Declan Keilty, Paul Pattison and Lucas Walmsley standing out. Joe Fisscher who was impressive when he gained senior promotion late last year booted four goals on return from injury. Tom Wyatt also booted four and Max King manager two in the goal fest. 2015 AFL Victoria Development League Casey Scorpions 6.2.38 10.6.66 16.9.105 18.11.119 Northern Blues 1.2.8 2.5.17 3.5.23 5.7.37 Goals Casey Scorpions Fisscher Wyatt 4 King Rennie Waters 2 Anderson Hannon Hillard Lang Northern Blues Walton 3 Murray Stevens Best Casey Scorpions Keilty Pattison K Wilson Wyatt J McDonald Walmsley Northern Blues Soncin Johnston Cattapan Stevens Gleeson

SCORPIONS FREEZE OUT TIGERS by KC from Casey The Casey Scorpions reignited their finals hopes after suffering two disappointing defeats on the trot with a comfortable win over Richmond under lights at Casey Fields last night. Melbourne's outer south east can be inhospitable territory to visitors at the best of times but when it's freezing cold and only a couple of weeks away from the onset of winter, it can be downright unfriendly. The Scorpions gave their opponents no quarter as they led for most of the night before turning on the afterburners with a stunning seven goal final quarter. What made the victory even more meritorious was the fact that the Scorpions were down to a year's low of 9 AFL listed players and they lost ruckman Mark Jamar to a knock in the second quarter. Last year, that scenario would have been a complete disaster but thanks to some astute recruiting and the development of some of the younger Casey listed players, the Scorpions stood up to the Tigers and were not intimidated by their greater experience. Only four of the team's goals were kicked by Demons and three of those were booted by Big Max Gawn who stepped up to fill the rucking duties with Jamar's injury. Gawn's proficiency in the ruck duels constantly gave his onballers first use of the ball from the stoppages. Tim Smith kicked the opening goal after a fluid passage of play and after an even quarter, second gamer Jordan Moncrieff goalled after the siren to give the home team a seven point lead at the first break. Mitch White made that 13 points when he scored early but the Tigers regrouped for two goals and the game was an arm wrestle for a while until three consecutive majors for the Scorps gave them a handy 18 point break at half time. The game became a slog after the main break with plenty of mistakes and skill errors and there was still plenty left in the game at three quarter time with the Scorps leading by only 14 points. An early goal to the Tigers breathed an air of tension into the game but it was short lived. With another second gamer Bayley Fritsch getting in the goals and the tireless Gawn chiming in for some late ones, Casey romped home to win by 44 points and earn the rest which comes with next week's bye. From a Demon's viewpoint the club would be happy with the continuing development of youngsters Alex Neal-Bullen who was strong at the clearances, Mitch White whose disposal by foot was superb and Oscar McDonald who worked hard all night. Viv Michie and Dean Terlich were also good while Jordie McKenzie was strong in the contests. Casey would also be delighted with the way its VFL list is developing. 2015 Peter Jackson VFL Casey Scorpions 3.4.22 7.6.48 8.9.57 15.13.103 Richmond Tigers 2.13.15 4.6.30 6.7.43 8.11.59 Goals Casey Scorpions Fritsch Gawn 3 Moncrieff Smith 2 Morris Muir Petropoulos Rutherford White Richmond Tigers Aarts Short 2 Cachia Gordon Lennon McBean Best Casey Scorpions Gawn Michie Terlich Neal-Bullen White Hutchins Richmond Tigers Cachia Thomas Dea Castagna Lennon Hampson Statistics Max Gawn 3 goals 1 behind 21 disposals 15 kicks 6 handballs 9 marks 4 tackles 34 hit outs 152 dream team points James Harmes 2 behinds disposals 10 kicks 4 handballs 1 mark 5 tackles 1 hit out 61 dream team points Mark Jamar 1 behind 3 disposals 3 kicks 3 marks 3 hit outs 14dream team points [injured] Oscar McDonald 9 disposals 6 kicks 3 handballs 6 marks 1 tackle 43 dream team points Jordie McKenzie 23 disposals 10 kicks 13 handballs 5 marks 10 tackles 96 dream team points Viv Michie 25 disposals 19 kicks 6 handballs 4 marks 10 tackles 110 dream team points Alex Neal-Bullen 22 disposals 16 kicks 6 handballs 2 marks 3 tackles 1 hit out 79 dream team points Dean Terlich 16 disposals 14 kicks 2 handballs 8 marks 4 tackles 86 dream team points Mitch White 1 goal 19 disposals 15 kicks 4 handballs 8 marks 5 tackles 100 dream team points In the development league game played earlier in the day, Casey dominated proceedings and recorded another big victory. Again it was the recruits who stood out with Declan Keilty, Paul Pattison and Lucas Walmsley standing out. Joe Fisscher who was impressive when he gained senior promotion late last year booted four goals on return from injury. Tom Wyatt also booted four and Max King manager two in the goal fest. 2015 AFL Victoria Development League Casey Scorpions 6.2.38 10.6.66 16.9.105 18.11.119 Northern Blues 1.2.8 2.5.17 3.5.23 5.7.37 Goals Casey Scorpions Fisscher Wyatt 4 King Rennie Waters 2 Anderson Hannon Hillard Lang Northern Blues Walton 3 Murray Stevens Best Casey Scorpions Keilty Pattison K Wilson Wyatt J McDonald Walmsley Northern Blues Soncin Johnston Cattapan Stevens Gleeson

THE DEVIL IN THE DETAIL by Whispering Jack Tonight I'll be fronting up as usual to the Devil's Advocates Dinner for members of the legal fraternity who support the Melbourne Football Club. They include judges and their associates, solicitors, barristers, paralegal people and their staff all with that one thing in common - the fact that red and blue blood courses through their veins. That, and the fact that they have suffered greatly through the sport over time (except of course, for those who managed to get a professional involvement in the Essendon drug saga) It's almost becoming a tradition that on the weekend before this function, Melbourne suffers a hiding of gigantic proportions meaning that the mood of the evening is usually sombre if not funereal. As a reminder of how poorly the Demons performed in their game against the Hawks, I give you this report from Footy Almanac. As a result, I pity for instance, Phil Kingston, the auctioneer who has to flog various Demon related products during the course of the evening, like an afternoon in the coaches box, when the enthusiasm among the crowd leaves a lot to be desired. I might even be tempted to put in a bid for the coaches box gig but only on a non match day. Still, I always look forward to the event and trust that there will be some special revelation that might reveal a light at the end of that very long tunnel that seems to extend itself whenever we get a third of the way into a season. THE GAME Melbourne v Western Bulldogs at The MCG Sunday 24 May 2015 at 3.20pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall: Melbourne 84 Western Bulldogs 74 wins wins 1 draw At MCG: Melbourne 44 wins Western Bulldogs 27 wins Last Five Meetings: Melbourne 1 win Western Bulldogs 4 wins The Coaches: Roos 0 wins Beveridge 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Sports Channel 3 Radio - SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Melbourne $3.05 to win Western Bulldogs $1.38 to win LAST TIME THEY MET Western Bulldogs 14.7.91 defeated Melbourne 13.7.85 at Etihad Stadium in Round 15, 2014. The Demons had a slow start but recovered from way back to lead late in the game until a few defensive mistakes and some brilliance from Marcus Bontempelli saw the Dogs home by a goal. TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Colin Garland, Tom McDonald, Jack Grimes HB: Jeremy Howe, Lynden Dunn, Heritier Lumumba C: Daniel Cross, Aaron vandenBerg, Matt Jones HF: Angus Brayshaw, Cameron Pedersen, Jack Watts F: Jeff Garlett, Jesse Hogan, Jack Fitzpatrick FOLL: Jake Spencer, Nathan Jones, Bernie Vince I/C: Rohan Bail, Ben Newton, Aidan Riley, Jimmy Toumpas EMG: Max Gawn, Viv Michie, Billy Stretch IN: Jack Fitzpatrick, Jesse Hogan, Ben Newton, Aidan Riley, Jack Watts OUT: Chris Dawes (calf), Viv Michie, Christian Salem (hamstring), Billy Stretch, Dom Tyson (knee) WESTERN BULLDOGS B: Matthew Boyd, Jordan Roughead, Easton Wood HB: Robert Murphy, Fletcher Roberts, Jason Johannisen C: Tory Dickson, Liam Picken, Koby Stevens HF: Bailey Dale, Jake Stringer, Mitch Wallis F: Stewart Crameri, Tom Boyd, Luke Dahlhaus FOLL: Ayce Cordy, Lin Jong, Marcus Bontempelli I/C: Shane Biggs, Brett Goodes, Lachie Hunter, Michael Talia EMG: Jarrad Grant Nathan Hrovath Jack Macrae IN:Shane Biggs OUT: Mitch Honeychurch (general soreness) NEW: Shane Biggs I sat opposite Heritier Lumumba for part of the Devil's Advocates function (they rotate the club guests during the evening) and found him to be a revelation in terms of his ability to articulate his views on life and football with such intelligence, passion and humour. He is a major asset to the club not only as a player but as a mentor for our young team. When asked by compere Doctor Turf what his initial thoughts were of the three way trade involving Mitch Clark (to Geelong), Travis Varcoe (to Collingwood) and him to Melbourne, it was that the Demons had won. Perhaps he was jesting but I think he might be right. He also added that he felt at home at this function because his stepfather was a Solicitor which meant he understood why so many there were wearing mismatched ties. His story of how his parents were both dancers who met in Brazil (his father was from the undemocratic Republic of Congo). This probably explains the graceful way he moves around the field at times and he was the big hit of the night from my perspective. Josh Mahoney spoke of his experiences as a twice rejected AFL player (Collingwood and Bulldogs) who spent three seasons in the VFL before getting a chance to be a premiership player at Port Adelaide. Josh has had a role change at Melbourne, moving from the coaching to the business side of football which he says suits him just fine. He did mention that Neville Jetta and Jack Viney would miss another week before returning but that Jesse Hogan was good to go this week. The final speaker was Simon Goodwin who spoke of his experiences as coach in waiting and how he was enjoying the learning experience under Paul Roos and how he is being mentored as a future coach by Neale Daniher. It was something that most of the audience knew little about and there a great deal of interest in Neales experiences as he fights his debilitating illness. Goodwin remains very confident that the club is on the right trajectory despite the difficult three week period it has just experienced against three of the competitions strongest sides. He expects us to be a finals prospect within the next two to three years. Congratulations to Devils Advocates convener Ralph Glezer with who I first went with to the footy in our university days which started not long after our golden era ended. There were many times in the barren years of the 70s and 80s that our only joy was the sight of Robbie Flower running on the wings of the MCG and the suburban football grounds of Melbourne. Kudos to Ralph for bringing in poet and Demon fan Greg Shalless to open the night by delivering his tribute to Robbie - https://soundcloud.com/sen1116/ode-to-robbie-flower/ Phil Kingston of Garry Peer & Associates estate agents was brilliant as the auctioneer of various bits and pieces of Melbourne related goodies. Dr. Turf was the compere and ran the show well with his wit and wisdom. He brought the house down with his story about how Prime Minister Bob Hawke gave him his private telephone number so that he could deliver his horse racing tips on a Saturday morning. Turfie asked the PM what would happen if the phone was engaged, to which Hawke answered, then were all f---ed because the only person who has the number is George Bush and if hes on the line it means hes gotten us involved in another bloody war!" I'm wondering if he has the phone number for Paul Roos because I would dearly like to know what hes thinking as Melbourne takes on the Western Bulldogs with a side that it somewhat depleted from the games of early in the season when the team showed significant advances over last year. Despite the fact that the Western Bulldogs have dominated recent meetings between the teams (they have won nine of 10 matches since 2008), the games have been reasonably close affairs with the Demons in the contests until close to the end. The past four contests have been decided by an average margin of 11 points and on most such occasions, it was the overall experience of the Doggies that made the difference but this time around, things promise to be different. The Western Bulldogs jettisoned a fair bit of experience at the end of 2014 and many of the pundits expected them to struggle with the extra reliance upon youth but instead, their youngsters have risen to the occasion and given their fans some joy after the gloom and doom of the off season. Whilst Melbourne has some promising young players on its list, some of the best of its youth have been sidelined with injury lately and therefore, team selection has become something of a mish mash with several not quite right players getting games and a number of selections going against the flow of logic for an outsider. The end result is that I don't have the same feeling of confidence in the team's short to medium term prospects that I held a month ago. Western Bulldogs by 27 points

The two clubs were evenly matched in the latter part of 2014 and the game could have gone either way. Since then, the Dogs have gone forward and we ... WESTERN BULLDOGS B: Liam Picken, Mark Austin, Robert Murphy HB: Shaun Higgins, Dale Morris, Easton Wood C :Marcus Bontempelli, Matthew Boyd, Jack Macrae HF: Koby Stevens, Stewart Crameri, Sam Darley F: Luke Dahlhaus, Liam Jones, Mitch Honeychurch FOLL: Will Minson, Mitch Wallis, Tom Liberatore I/C: Nathan Hrovat, Lachie Hunter, Jake Stringer, Jason Tutt EMG: Tom Campbell, Jack Redpath, Fletcher Roberts IN: Sam Darley, Mitch Honeychurch, Lachie Hunter, Jake Stringer OUT: Daniel Giansiracusa (suspension), Jarrad Grant (virus), Ryan Griffen (back spasms), Jordan Roughead (shoulder) NEW: Sam Darley, Mitch Honeychurch MELBOURNE B: Neville Jetta, Lynden Dunn, Jeremy Howe HB: Dean Terlich, Colin Garland, Jack Grimes C: Jack Watts, Jack Viney, Bernie Vince HF: Rohan Bail, Chris Dawes, Matt Jones F: Cameron Pedersen, James Frawley, Dean Kent FOLL: Mark Jamar, Dom Tyson, Nathan Jones I/C: Dom Barry, Max Gawn, Daniel Nicholson, Christian Salem EMG: Alex Georgiou, Aidan Riley, Luke Tapscott IN: Dom Barry, Max Gawn, Daniel Nicholson, Dean Terlich OUT: Daniel Cross (leg), Tom McDonald (calf), Jordie McKenzie (suspension), Aidan Riley NEW Dom Barry

T Mac hits the ton and goes to a huge lead - 101. Tom McDonald 36. Nathan Jones 35. Jesse Hogan 32. Jeffrey Garlett 30. Christian Salem 29. Colin Garland 28. Daniel Cross 24. Bernie Vince 22. Jack Viney 18. Cam Pedersen 15. Angus Brayshaw Aaron vandenBerg 10. Neville Jetta 7. Jack Watts 5. Jack Grimes 4. Lynden Dunn Mark Jamar Viv Michie Ben Newton Jimmy Toumpas 3. Heritier Lubumba 1. Dom Tyson

CASEY PAYS AGAIN FOR SLOW START by KC from Casey The Casey Scorpions were held goalless in the opening term for the second week in a row and once again paid heavily for their slow starting ways by crashing to defeat at the hands of VFL stand alone powerhouse Port Melbourne at North Port Oval on Saturday. The conditions were perfect for football, the sun was shining but the goals weren't coming for the Scorpions in the early going even though twin towers in Mark Jamar and Max Gawn were winning the hit outs in the ruck. They could easily have had a good lead at quarter time had they made the most of their opportunities and were later to rue yet another slow start. Still the 11 point quarter time deficit was easily overturned in the second term when the visitors dominated. Recruit Jordan Moncrieff kicked a goal on debut and Casey was full of run with midfielders Jordie McKenzie and Aidan Riley working hard. When Mark Jamar combined with Jack Watts for a nice goal, the Scorpions were in front and looking strong as they took a five point lead into half time. Unfortunately, that was pretty much that for the day. The teams fought tooth and nail in the third term with Casey suffering a bad loss when defender Jack Fitzpatrick copped a heavy knock and was taken to hospital by ambulance. The Borough gained the ascendancy late in the quarter to lead by 11 points at the final break and then, their superior knowledge of the ground conditions took over and they romped away winning by 23. Casey hosts Richmond for the first time next week in a game scheduled to start at 6.00pm. 2015 Peter Jackson VFL Casey Scorpions 0.4.4 4.5.29 5.6.36 7.10.52 Port Melbourne 2.3.15 3.6.24 6.11.47 10.15.75 Goals Casey Scorpions Moncrieff 2 Byrnes Fritsch McKenzie Muir Watts Port Melbourne Haretuku Lisle Pearson 2 Osborne O'Sullivan Rivett Scipione Best Casey Scorpions Riley Panozza Muir McKenzie Watts Harmes Port Melbourne Toman Tynan Langford Johnson Noonan Hayes Player Statistics Jack Fitzpatrick 3 disposals 2 kicks 1 handballs 1 marks 11 Dream Team Points [injured] Max Gawn 1 behind 10 disposals 7 kicks 3 handballs 6 marks 2 tackles 36 hit outs 84 Dream Team Points James Harmes 2 behinds 19 disposals 9 kicks 10 handballs 3 marks 6 tackles 79 Dream Team Points Mark Jamar 11 disposals 4 kicks 7 handballs 3 marks 3 tackles 31 hit outs 76 Dream Team Points Oscar McDonald 11 disposals 6 kicks 5 handballs 4 marks 2 tackles 49 Dream Team Points Jordie McKenzie 1 goal 34 disposals 14 kicks 20 handballs 8 marks 8 tackles 148 Dream Team Points Alex Neal-Bullen 24 disposals 13 kicks 11 handballs 7 marks 2 tackles 90 Dream Team Points Aidan Riley 28 disposals 9 kicks 19 handballs 5 marks 11 tackles 122 Dream Team Points Dean Terlich 17 disposals 8 kicks 9 handballs 5 marks 4 tackles 68 Dream Team Points Jack Watts 1 goal 24 seconds disposals 12 kicks 12 handballs 8 marks 1 tackle 86 Dream Team Points Mitchell White 21 disposals 10 kicks 11 handballs 2 marks 3 tackles 73 Dream Team Points The Development League lost its first game for the season in a tightly fought game with Max King booting four goals. 2015 AFL Victoria Development League Casey Scorpions 2.2.14 7.4.46 11.4.70 15.6.96 Port Melbourne 5.6.36 8.6.54 12.9.81 16.12.108 Goals Casey Scorpions King 4 Paredes 3 Page Rennie Thomas 2 Hannon Scott Port Melbourne McKenzie 4 Dove Macmillan Mahon Mioni 2 Dermott Patterson Taylor Vearing Best Casey Scorpions King Hillard McDonald Anderson Page Wilson Port Melbourne Macmillan Urban McKenzie Vearing Mioni Phillips

The Casey Scorpions were held goalless in the opening term for the second week in a row and once again paid heavily for their slow starting ways by crashing to defeat at the hands of VFL stand alone powerhouse Port Melbourne at North Port Oval on Saturday. The conditions were perfect for football, the sun was shining but the goals weren't coming for the Scorpions in the early going even though twin towers in Mark Jamar and Max Gawn were winning the hit outs in the ruck. They could easily have had a good lead at quarter time had they made the most of their opportunities and were later to rue yet another slow start. Still the 11 point quarter time deficit was easily overturned in the second term when the visitors dominated. Recruit Jordan Moncrieff kicked a goal on debut and Casey was full of run with midfielders Jordie McKenzie and Aidan Riley working hard. When Mark Jamar combined with Jack Watts for a nice goal, the Scorpions were in front and looking strong as they took a five point lead into half time. Unfortunately, that was pretty much that for the day. The teams fought tooth and nail in the third term with Casey suffering a bad loss when defender Jack Fitzpatrick copped a heavy knock and was taken to hospital by ambulance. The Borough gained the ascendancy late in the quarter to lead by 11 points at the final break and then, their superior knowledge of the ground conditions took over and they romped away winning by 23. Casey hosts Richmond for the first time next week in a game scheduled to start at 6.00pm. 2015 Peter Jackson VFL Casey Scorpions 0.4.4 4.5.29 5.6.36 7.10.52 Port Melbourne 2.3.15 3.6.24 6.11.47 10.15.75 Goals Casey Scorpions Moncrieff 2 Byrnes Fritsch McKenzie Muir Watts Port Melbourne Haretuku Lisle Pearson 2 Osborne O'Sullivan Rivett Scipione Best Casey Scorpions Riley Panozza Muir McKenzie Watts Harmes Port Melbourne Toman Tynan Langford Johnson Noonan Hayes Player Statistics Jack Fitzpatrick 3 disposals 2 kicks 1 handballs 1 marks 11 Dream Team Points [injured] Max Gawn 1 behind 10 disposals 7 kicks 3 handballs 6 marks 2 tackles 36 hit outs 84 Dream Team Points James Harmes 2 behinds 19 disposals 9 kicks 10 handballs 3 marks 6 tackles 79 Dream Team Points Mark Jamar 11 disposals 4 kicks 7 handballs 3 marks 3 tackles 31 hit outs 76 Dream Team Points Oscar McDonald 11 disposals 6 kicks 5 handballs 4 marks 2 tackles 49 Dream Team Points Jordie McKenzie 1 goal 34 disposals 14 kicks 20 handballs 8 marks 8 tackles 148 Dream Team Points Alex Neal-Bullen 24 disposals 13 kicks 11 handballs 7 marks 2 tackles 90 Dream Team Points Aidan Riley 28 disposals 9 kicks 19 handballs 5 marks 11 tackles 122 Dream Team Points Dean Terlich 17 disposals 8 kicks 9 handballs 5 marks 4 tackles 68 Dream Team Points Jack Watts 1 goal 24 seconds disposals 12 kicks 12 handballs 8 marks 1 tackle 86 Dream Team Points Mitchell White 21 disposals 10 kicks 11 handballs 2 marks 3 tackles 73 Dream Team Points The Development League lost its first game for the season in a tightly fought game with Max King booting four goals. 2015 AFL Victoria Development League Casey Scorpions 2.2.14 7.4.46 11.4.70 15.6.96 Port Melbourne 5.6.36 8.6.54 12.9.81 16.12.108 Goals Casey Scorpions King 4 Paredes 3 Page Rennie Thomas 2 Hannon Scott Port Melbourne McKenzie 4 Dove Macmillan Mahon Mioni 2 Dermott Patterson Taylor Vearing Best Casey Scorpions King Hillard McDonald Anderson Page Wilson Port Melbourne Macmillan Urban McKenzie Vearing Mioni Phillips

During the week some of our readers would have received a survey from the MFC and the AFL, seeking their opinion of the Fan Experience, which has resulted in our senses being assailed by bright lights, loud music and boorish ground announcers. Sadly for the Demon supporters they would be happy for some fan experience of the traditional type going to see their side compete ... perchance winning now and then, and even dreaming of the fan experience of the Hawthorn supporters who have witnessed decades of success both on and off the field. But the only experience they got was another shellacking from a team that is obviously a premiership contender (again), and a football lesson on how very, very far the Demons are from being both relevant and successful in todays competition. And that shellacking was delivered without the services of Luke Hodge and Jordan Lewis! The opening two goals by the Demons pointed to something possible, before the Hawks had registered a major but the first two goals to the Hawks came from direct turnovers, as the Melbourne players set about destroying their own confidence. To finish the quarter they then piled on another four for good measure, as the players in Red and Blue in many cases stood idly by. That was bettered again the 3rd with an 8 goal haul, and another 6 in the final term to round it out nicely. Were it not for Tom McDonald and Col Garland the rout that was to ensue would have been even uglier. And yes, they made a couple of mistakes themselves, but when the ball keeps coming in so freely and often, they can be more than forgiven. Similarly Nathan Jones played his guts out again, and seems to have lost all the promised support he had at year start. It certainly doesnt help when your ruckman cant hit the ball remotely near a red and blue shirted player. Or even to hit the ball! What cant be forgiven is the unwillingness to run and run hard when needed by the Melbourne players. A classic example was when Gibson gathered the ball in the Hawthorn backline and delivered to Rioli on the wing. As Rioli ran forward to eventually score the goal, Gibson ran behind him all the way to the goal line, protecting him from any defenders. A look back to the Melbourne forward line saw Gibson's direct opponent still standing, looking downfield. For the Hawks it is all about team! The ruthlessness of Hawthorn has to be admired and their goal-kicking and field delivery is exceptional. Roughead, Gunston, Suckling, and Bruest have the most delightful kicking style and accuracy. The 50 metre arc is only a way-point to goal as they consistently make the distance and usually the accuracy. Contrast that with the efforts of a number of Melbourne players who couldnt make either the distance or the accuracy from points well inside the 50 metre arc. While the overall result wouldnt have changed, another 5 or 6 very gettable goals start to make the score-line respectable and give some hope for the future. But even if everything had gone our way up forward, the obvious holes and NQR players proliferate throughout the side. We have imported, traded and drafted some serious talent over the past 2 years, but when the names of M. Jones, Bail, Grimes, Howe and Spencer appear in the team selected, we can be certain that we are scraping the barrel. The fact that we HAVE to play kids like Billy Stretch, Angus Brayshaw and then supplement them with other first year players like Aaron Vandenberg, shows the true lack of depth that the club faces. Yet all of these first year players acquitted themselves admirably. That no one in the Casey lineup can or is capable of giving them a rest is a real indictment. By season's end they may well be burnt out, battered and deflated. Even more so when they realise what some players are being paid to run around with the Scorpions! Contrast those NQR players with the performance, and strong marking efforts of Cam Pedersen, who truly took his slim opportunity to play at senior level and turned it into a sterling performance. He willed himself to contests and created opportunities up forward to not only score three goals off his own boot but give Garlett chances that wouldnt have otherwise happened. Then he pinch hits in the ruck and even gives us a couple of clearances that were non-existent for most of the match. Hell be back next week, and unfortunately the list will be populated with more of the NQR players again. Losing Christian Salem to a hamstring makes the selection committee's job even harder as they are forced to put forward names that simply shouldnt be on the radar. Worse still is the fan experience that the supporters will be forced to endure when those same players run out on the ground again, and perform to the same miserable standards that we have witnessed all this season. Melbourne 2.0.12 3.3.21 4.6.30 7.8.50 HAWTHORN 6.2.38 10.6.66 18.8.116 24.11.155 Goals Melbourne Garlett Pedersen 3 Bail Hawthorn Roughead 4 Breust Rioli 3 Hale Langford Puopolo Schoenmakers 2 Ceglar Gunston Hartung, Hill Mitchell Suckling Best Melbourne Garlett Pedersen T McDonald N Jones Hawthorn Mitchell Hartung Hill Roughead Burgoyne Langford Shiels Ceglar Changes Melbourne Jesse Hogan (soreness) replaced in the selected side by Cam Pedersen Hawthorn Isaac Smith (illness) replaced in the selected side by Jonathan Simpkin Injuries Melbourne Christian Salem (hamstring) Hawthorn Nil Substitutes Melbourne Billy Stretch replaced Christian Salem in the second quarter Hawthorn Jonathan Simpkin replaced David Hale in the third quarter Reports Melbourne Nil Hawthorn Nil Umpires Rosebury Edwards Ryan Official crowd 41,935 at the MCG

Enough already ~ post match here.

ENHANCING THE FAN EXPERIENCE by George on the Outer During the week some of our readers would have received a survey from the MFC and the AFL, seeking their opinion of the Fan Experience, which has resulted in our senses being assailed by bright lights, loud music and boorish ground announcers. Sadly for the Demon supporters they would be happy for some fan experience of the traditional type going to see their side compete ... perchance winning now and then, and even dreaming of the fan experience of the Hawthorn supporters who have witnessed decades of success both on and off the field. But the only experience they got was another shellacking from a team that is obviously a premiership contender (again), and a football lesson on how very, very far the Demons are from being both relevant and successful in todays competition. And that shellacking was delivered without the services of Luke Hodge and Jordan Lewis! The opening two goals by the Demons pointed to something possible, before the Hawks had registered a major but the first two goals to the Hawks came from direct turnovers, as the Melbourne players set about destroying their own confidence. To finish the quarter they then piled on another four for good measure, as the players in Red and Blue in many cases stood idly by. That was bettered again the 3rd with an 8 goal haul, and another 6 in the final term to round it out nicely. Were it not for Tom McDonald and Col Garland the rout that was to ensue would have been even uglier. And yes, they made a couple of mistakes themselves, but when the ball keeps coming in so freely and often, they can be more than forgiven. Similarly Nathan Jones played his guts out again, and seems to have lost all the promised support he had at year start. It certainly doesnt help when your ruckman cant hit the ball remotely near a red and blue shirted player. Or even to hit the ball! What cant be forgiven is the unwillingness to run and run hard when needed by the Melbourne players. A classic example was when Gibson gathered the ball in the Hawthorn backline and delivered to Rioli on the wing. As Rioli ran forward to eventually score the goal, Gibson ran behind him all the way to the goal line, protecting him from any defenders. A look back to the Melbourne forward line saw Gibson's direct opponent still standing, looking downfield. For the Hawks it is all about team! The ruthlessness of Hawthorn has to be admired and their goal-kicking and field delivery is exceptional. Roughead, Gunston, Suckling, and Bruest have the most delightful kicking style and accuracy. The 50 metre arc is only a way-point to goal as they consistently make the distance and usually the accuracy. Contrast that with the efforts of a number of Melbourne players who couldnt make either the distance or the accuracy from points well inside the 50 metre arc. While the overall result wouldnt have changed, another 5 or 6 very gettable goals start to make the score-line respectable and give some hope for the future. But even if everything had gone our way up forward, the obvious holes and NQR players proliferate throughout the side. We have imported, traded and drafted some serious talent over the past 2 years, but when the names of M. Jones, Bail, Grimes, Howe and Spencer appear in the team selected, we can be certain that we are scraping the barrel. The fact that we HAVE to play kids like Billy Stretch, Angus Brayshaw and then supplement them with other first year players like Aaron Vandenberg, shows the true lack of depth that the club faces. Yet all of these first year players acquitted themselves admirably. That no one in the Casey lineup can or is capable of giving them a rest is a real indictment. By season's end they may well be burnt out, battered and deflated. Even more so when they realise what some players are being paid to run around with the Scorpions! Contrast those NQR players with the performance, and strong marking efforts of Cam Pedersen, who truly took his slim opportunity to play at senior level and turned it into a sterling performance. He willed himself to contests and created opportunities up forward to not only score three goals off his own boot but give Garlett chances that wouldnt have otherwise happened. Then he pinch hits in the ruck and even gives us a couple of clearances that were non-existent for most of the match. Hell be back next week, and unfortunately the list will be populated with more of the NQR players again. Losing Christian Salem to a hamstring makes the selection committee's job even harder as they are forced to put forward names that simply shouldnt be on the radar. Worse still is the fan experience that the supporters will be forced to endure when those same players run out on the ground again, and perform to the same miserable standards that we have witnessed all this season. Melbourne 2.0.12 3.3.21 4.6.30 7.8.50 HAWTHORN 6.2.38 10.6.66 18.8.116 24.11.155 Goals Melbourne Garlett Pedersen 3 Bail Hawthorn Roughead 4 Breust Rioli 3 Hale Langford Puopolo Schoenmakers 2 Ceglar Gunston Hartung, Hill Mitchell Suckling Best Melbourne Garlett Pedersen T McDonald N Jones Hawthorn Mitchell Hartung Hill Roughead Burgoyne Langford Shiels Ceglar Changes Melbourne Jesse Hogan (soreness) replaced in the selected side by Cam Pedersen Hawthorn Isaac Smith (illness) replaced in the selected side by Jonathan Simpkin Injuries Melbourne Christian Salem (hamstring) Hawthorn Nil Substitutes Melbourne Billy Stretch replaced Christian Salem in the second quarter Hawthorn Jonathan Simpkin replaced David Hale in the third quarter Reports Melbourne Nil Hawthorn Nil Umpires Rosebury Edwards Ryan Official crowd 41,935 at the MCG

Unfortunately, we still need to give votes to six players.

A couple of weeks ago, we breathed a sigh of relief when two of Hawthorn's most important players lost the plot and earned themselves a few weeks holiday courtesy of the AFL system which punishes such indiscretions as whacking unsuspecting opponents in the head and the like. It didn't take long for the suspensions of Luke Hodge and Jordan Lewis to have a negative impact on the Hawks. Their surprise defeat at the hands of the GWS Giants put them three games behind competition leader Fremantle and, even at this early stage of proceedings that makes the possibility of them having to negotiate an interstate final a likely outcome given the line-up of teams currently near the top of the table. All this spells trouble for Melbourne reeling from consecutive big losses at the hands of two of those big guns and now staring down the barrel at a confrontation with the wounded reigning premiers. They are not likely to take the Demons easily or give any concessions but rather will approach this clash with a heightened sense of "unsociability" given how problematic a surprise defeat at the hands of an AFL minnow would be to its prospects of pulling off an AFL premiership "threepeat". So Melbourne fans going to Saturday afternoon's away game at the MCG should not draw any solace from the fact that Hodge and Lewis are going to be sitting in the stands along with one or two of their key defenders. Hawthorn will come out fully pumped, ready for the kill and out to add to its imposing string of impressive wins (eleven in a row) mostly by huge winning margins stretching out to almost a decade. And sadly, judging by how meekly their opponents have succumbed in the past couple of matches, they won't need to whack any heads to achieve that feat again on Saturday. THE GAME Hawthorn v Melbourne at the MCG Saturday 16 May 2015 at 2.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Hawthorn 83 wins Melbourne 74 wins At MCG Hawthorn 42 wins Melbourne 35 wins Last 5 meetings Hawthorn 5 wins Melbourne 0 wins The Coaches Clarkson 1 win Roos 0 wins MEDIA TV Fox Sports Channel 3 at 2.00pm (live) RADIO - Triple M 3AW THE BETTING Hawthorn $1.13 to win Melbourne $6.00 to win THE LAST TIME THEY MET Hawthorn 17.13.115 defeated Melbourne 9.11.65 in Round 20, 2014 at the MCG It was just another one of the many since Melbourne beat them on a Friday night in 2006 before the deluge came for the Demons. Nothing changed. They came out. Went bang. We lost by 50 points. THE TEAMS HAWTHORN B: Shaun Burgoyne, James Frawley, Ben Stratton HB: Grant Birchall, Josh Gibson, Taylor Duryea C: Bradley Hill, Sam Mitchell, Matthew Suckling HF: Isaac Smith, Jack Gunston, Cyril Rioli F: Ben McEvoy, Jarryd Roughead, Luke Breust FOLL: Jonathon Ceglar, Paul Puopolo, Liam Shiels I/C: Ryan Schoenmakers, Will Langford, Angus Litherland, Billy Hartung EMG: Daniel Howe, Jonathan Simpkin, Tim O'Brien IN: James Frawley, Angus Litherland OUT: Jed Anderson, Brendan Whitecross MELBOURNE B: Christian Salem, Tom McDonald, Colin Garland HB: Jack Grimes, Lynden Dunn, Jeremy Howe C: Daniel Cross, Nathan Jones, Heritier Lumumba HF: Angus Brayshaw, Jesse Hogan, Rohan Bail F: Jeff Garlett, Chris Dawes, Aaron Vandenberg FOLL: Jake Spencer, Dom Tyson, Bernie Vince I/C: Matt Jones, Viv Michie, Billy Stretch, Jimmy Toumpas EMG: Max Gawn, Ben Newton, Cameron Pedersen IN: Rohan Bail, Jack Grimes, Matt Jones, Viv Michie OUT: Jay Kennedy-Harris (groin), Ben Newton, Cam Pedersen, Jack Watts Hawthorn's reputation is not only one of "unsociability" but it is also completely ruthless and, unfortunately for Melbourne, that streak has come out the most this year when the Hawks have been recently wounded. You only need to look at how they bounced back after losses to Essendon and Port Melbourne by flogging the Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne to know that there will be no complacency in the camp after their upset loss to Greater Western Sydney which was their first ever to one of the two new franchise clubs. The problem for Melbourne is that it has almost picked the wrong week to come up against Hawthorn. Sure, it would have been much worse had Hodge, Lewis and Lake been available but the Hawks have a happy knack of being able to cover their losses reasonably well. Even without their two highly regarded midfielders, they have the likes of Sam Mitchell and Shaun Burgoyne in the heart of the ground with dangerous players like Cyril, Brad Hill and Liam Shiels thereabouts and they have class everywhere on the ground. This should all prove to much for the Demons whose stocks are somewhat depleted. Even with their best 22 available they would struggle but this week, it could get ugly. Hawthorn by 57 points.

READY FOR THE KILL by Whispering Jack A couple of weeks ago, we breathed a sigh of relief when two of Hawthorn's most important players lost the plot and earned themselves a few weeks holiday courtesy of the AFL system which punishes such indiscretions as whacking unsuspecting opponents in the head and the like. It didn't take long for the suspensions of Luke Hodge and Jordan Lewis to have a negative impact on the Hawks. Their surprise defeat at the hands of the GWS Giants put them three games behind competition leader Fremantle and, even at this early stage of proceedings that makes the possibility of them having to negotiate an interstate final a likely outcome given the line-up of teams currently near the top of the table. All this spells trouble for Melbourne reeling from consecutive big losses at the hands of two of those big guns and now staring down the barrel at a confrontation with the wounded reigning premiers. They are not likely to take the Demons easily or give any concessions but rather will approach this clash with a heightened sense of "unsociability" given how problematic a surprise defeat at the hands of an AFL minnow would be to its prospects of pulling off an AFL premiership "threepeat". So Melbourne fans going to Saturday afternoon's away game at the MCG should not draw any solace from the fact that Hodge and Lewis are going to be sitting in the stands along with one or two of their key defenders. Hawthorn will come out fully pumped, ready for the kill and out to add to its imposing string of impressive wins (eleven in a row) mostly by huge winning margins stretching out to almost a decade. And sadly, judging by how meekly their opponents have succumbed in the past couple of matches, they won't need to whack any heads to achieve that feat again on Saturday. THE GAME Hawthorn v Melbourne at the MCG Saturday 16 May 2015 at 2.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Hawthorn 83 wins Melbourne 74 wins At MCG Hawthorn 42 wins Melbourne 35 wins Last 5 meetings Hawthorn 5 wins Melbourne 0 wins The Coaches Clarkson 1 win Roos 0 wins MEDIA TV Fox Sports Channel 3 at 2.00pm (live) RADIO - Triple M 3AW THE BETTING Hawthorn $1.13 to win Melbourne $6.00 to win THE LAST TIME THEY MET Hawthorn 17.13.115 defeated Melbourne 9.11.65 in Round 20, 2014 at the MCG It was just another one of the many since Melbourne beat them on a Friday night in 2006 before the deluge came for the Demons. Nothing changed. They came out. Went bang. We lost by 50 points. THE TEAMS HAWTHORN B: Shaun Burgoyne, James Frawley, Ben Stratton HB: Grant Birchall, Josh Gibson, Taylor Duryea C: Bradley Hill, Sam Mitchell, Matthew Suckling HF: Isaac Smith, Jack Gunston, Cyril Rioli F: Ben McEvoy, Jarryd Roughead, Luke Breust FOLL: Jonathon Ceglar, Paul Puopolo, Liam Shiels I/C: Ryan Schoenmakers, Will Langford, Angus Litherland, Billy Hartung EMG: Daniel Howe, Jonathan Simpkin, Tim O'Brien IN: James Frawley, Angus Litherland OUT: Jed Anderson, Brendan Whitecross MELBOURNE B: Christian Salem, Tom McDonald, Colin Garland HB: Jack Grimes, Lynden Dunn, Jeremy Howe C: Daniel Cross, Nathan Jones, Heritier Lumumba HF: Angus Brayshaw, Jesse Hogan, Rohan Bail F: Jeff Garlett, Chris Dawes, Aaron Vandenberg FOLL: Jake Spencer, Dom Tyson, Bernie Vince I/C: Matt Jones, Viv Michie, Billy Stretch, Jimmy Toumpas EMG: Max Gawn, Ben Newton, Cameron Pedersen IN: Rohan Bail, Jack Grimes, Matt Jones, Viv Michie OUT: Jay Kennedy-Harris (groin), Ben Newton, Cam Pedersen, Jack Watts Hawthorn's reputation is not only one of "unsociability" but it is also completely ruthless and, unfortunately for Melbourne, that streak has come out the most this year when the Hawks have been recently wounded. You only need to look at how they bounced back after losses to Essendon and Port Melbourne by flogging the Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne to know that there will be no complacency in the camp after their upset loss to Greater Western Sydney which was their first ever to one of the two new franchise clubs. The problem for Melbourne is that it has almost picked the wrong week to come up against Hawthorn. Sure, it would have been much worse had Hodge, Lewis and Lake been available but the Hawks have a happy knack of being able to cover their losses reasonably well. Even without their two highly regarded midfielders, they have the likes of Sam Mitchell and Shaun Burgoyne in the heart of the ground with dangerous players like Cyril, Brad Hill and Liam Shiels thereabouts and they have class everywhere on the ground. This should all prove to much for the Demons whose stocks are somewhat depleted. Even with their best 22 available they would struggle but this week, it could get ugly. Hawthorn by 57 points.

It was just another day in the bomb shelter ... THE TEAMS HAWTHORN B: Taylor Duryea, Josh Gibson, Matt Spangher HB: Luke Hodge, Ben Stratton, Grant Birchall C: Isaac Smith, Sam Mitchell, Matthew Suckling HF: Bradley Hill, Ryan Schoenmakers, Luke Breust F: Paul Puopolo, Jarryd Roughead, Jordan Lewis FOLL: Ben McEvoy, Shaun Burgoyne, Liam Shiels I/C: David Hale, Jonathan Simpkin, Billy Hartung, Will Langford EMG: Jonathon Ceglar, Angus Litherland, Alex Woodward IN: Billy Hartung, Sam Mitchell, Isaac Smith OUT: Jack Gunston (knee), Angus Litherland, Alex Woodward MELBOURNE B: Colin Garland, Lynden Dunn, Jeremy Howe HB: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Matt Jones C: Rohan Bail, Bernie Vince, Daniel Cross HF: Jay Kennedy-Harris, James Frawley, Jack Watts F: Mark Jamar, Chris Dawes, Dean Kent FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson I/C: Dom Barry, Viv Michie, Aidan Riley, Jack Viney EMG: Jack Fitzpatrick, Jordie McKenzie, Daniel Nicholson IN: Dom Barry, Daniel Cross, Max Gawn, Matt Jones, Viv Michie OUT: Blease, McKenzie, Pedersen (head), Tapscott (knee), Terlich

When old rivals Casey and Sandringham met at Casey Fields in the VFL's televised match of the day on Saturday, the home side produced an exceptionally poor opening quarter to virtually cede the game from the beginning of the game. Kicking with the aid of the breeze, the Scorpions were goalless at the first break and it took until the 11-minute mark of the second term before they were able to kick their first goal. Both teams had a strong contingent of AFL listers but Casey lost Shannon Byrnes and Jack Hutchins to injury from their VFL list before the game and James Munro (shoulder) early in proceedings. It also struggled in attack throughout the game and relied on resting ruckmen Mark Jamar and Max Gawn to take the marks in front of goal. Alas, both failed to convert when they had the early opportunities and, as a consequence, the team played catch up football all day. The Scorps struggled with the wind all day and fumbling and poor decision making was a feature of their game. By half time they were in arrears by 25 points and a big effort was required if they were to get themselves back in with a chance. The inspiration came from Gawn who kicked one himself and have another away to a teammate as the opened the third term with three quick goals to get to within 7 points before the Zebras regrouped to push the lead out to 12 at three quarter time. They then dominated the final term to run away to a comfortable 35 point win. Former Demon captain Jack Grimes was the best for Casey in a defensive role and was well backed up by Viv Michie and Matt Jones. Max Gawn was the best of the big men while youngsters Alex Neal-Bullen and Oscar McDonald continued to show encouraging form. All in all, it was a disappointing result after the team spent last week basking in second spot on the VFL ladder. Casey travels to North Port Oval to take on Port Melbourne next Saturday and need to perform much better if they are to remain in the top eight. Peter Jackson VFL Casey Scorpions 0.3.3 3.5.23 7.8.50 8.10.58 Sandringham 1.2.8 7.6.48 9.6.60 13.15.93 Goals Casey Scorpions Gawn Gent Grimes Harmes M Jones O McDonald Muir Petropoulos Sandringham Acres Cockie Saad Zijai 2 Acres 2 Brown Gilbert Hayes Saunders Templeton Best Casey ScorpionsGrimes Michie Muir Gawn Rutherford Neal-Bullen Sandringham Acres Cockie Curren Lee Goddard Saad Match Statistics Jack Fitzpatrick 10 disposals 3 kicks 7 handballs 1 marks 5 tackles 44 dream team points Max Gawn 1 goal 1 behind 19 disposals 10 kicks 9 handballs 11 marks 1 tackle 22 hit outs 111 dream team points Jack Grimes 1 goal 1 behind 31 disposals 17 kicks 14 handballs 10 marks 2 tackles 124 dream team points James Harmes 1 goal 10 disposals 6 kicks 4 handballs 2 marks 1 tackles 37 dream team points Mark Jamar 2 behinds 10 disposals 6 kicks 4 handballs 3 marks 2 tackles 32 hit outs 70 dream team points Matt Jones 1 goal 1 behind 31 disposals 13 kicks 18 handballs 12 marks 4 tackles 134 dream team points Oscar McDonald 1 goal 11 disposals 5 kicks 6 handballs 5 marks 48 dream team points Jordie McKenzie 20 disposals 9 kicks 11 handballs 2 marks 4 tackles 73 dream team points Viv Michie 1 behind 25 disposals 17 kicks 8 handballs 6 marks 2 tackles 96 dream team points Alex Neal-Bullen 19 disposals 11 kicks 8 handballs 4 marks 7 tackles 77 dream team points Aidan Riley 18 disposals 4 kicks 14 handballs 1 marks 4 tackles 56 dream team points Dean Terlich 1 behind 25 disposals 17 kicks 8 handballs 4 marks 1 tackles 85 dream team points Mitch White 13 disposals 6 kicks 7 handballs 4 marks 45 dream team points In the Development League game, the Scorpions were headed at half time but kept the Zebras to just two goals after the main break to win by 19 points. Max King booted three goals in the vital third quarter. 2015 AFL Victoria Development League Casey Scorpions 4.3.27 4.3.27 10.4.64 12.6.78 Sandringham 2.0.12 7.3.45 7.4.46 9.5.59 Goals Casey Scorpions King 3 Lang Scott K Wilson 2 Page Rosier, Paredes Sandringham Kreymborg 4 McTaggart 3 Brown Harris Best Casey Scorpions Corrigan Scott Wilson Page Paredes Anderson Sandringham Verma Coates Noone Payne Brown Murdoch Disposals Scott 30 K Wilson 29 Paredes 27 Page 21 Anderson 20

SCORPIONS DISAPPOINT by KC from Casey When old rivals Casey and Sandringham met at Casey Fields in the VFL's televised match of the day on Saturday, the home side produced an exceptionally poor opening quarter to virtually cede the game from the beginning of the game. Kicking with the aid of the breeze, the Scorpions were goalless at the first break and it took until the 11-minute mark of the second term before they were able to kick their first goal. Both teams had a strong contingent of AFL listers but Casey lost Shannon Byrnes and Jack Hutchins to injury from their VFL list before the game and James Munro (shoulder) early in proceedings. It also struggled in attack throughout the game and relied on resting ruckmen Mark Jamar and Max Gawn to take the marks in front of goal. Alas, both failed to convert when they had the early opportunities and, as a consequence, the team played catch up football all day. The Scorps struggled with the wind all day and fumbling and poor decision making was a feature of their game. By half time they were in arrears by 25 points and a big effort was required if they were to get themselves back in with a chance. The inspiration came from Gawn who kicked one himself and have another away to a teammate as the opened the third term with three quick goals to get to within 7 points before the Zebras regrouped to push the lead out to 12 at three quarter time. They then dominated the final term to run away to a comfortable 35 point win. Former Demon captain Jack Grimes was the best for Casey in a defensive role and was well backed up by Viv Michie and Matt Jones. Max Gawn was the best of the big men while youngsters Alex Neal-Bullen and Oscar McDonald continued to show encouraging form. All in all, it was a disappointing result after the team spent last week basking in second spot on the VFL ladder. Casey travels to North Port Oval to take on Port Melbourne next Saturday and need to perform much better if they are to remain in the top eight. Peter Jackson VFL Casey Scorpions 0.3.3 3.5.23 7.8.50 8.10.58 Sandringham 1.2.8 7.6.48 9.6.60 13.15.93 Goals Casey Scorpions Gawn Gent Grimes Harmes M Jones O McDonald Muir Petropoulos Sandringham Acres Cockie Saad Zijai 2 Acres 2 Brown Gilbert Hayes Saunders Templeton Best Casey ScorpionsGrimes Michie Muir Gawn Rutherford Neal-Bullen Sandringham Acres Cockie Curren Lee Goddard Saad Match Statistics Jack Fitzpatrick 10 disposals 3 kicks 7 handballs 1 marks 5 tackles 44 dream team points Max Gawn 1 goal 1 behind 19 disposals 10 kicks 9 handballs 11 marks 1 tackle 22 hit outs 111 dream team points Jack Grimes 1 goal 1 behind 31 disposals 17 kicks 14 handballs 10 marks 2 tackles 124 dream team points James Harmes 1 goal 10 disposals 6 kicks 4 handballs 2 marks 1 tackles 37 dream team points Mark Jamar 2 behinds 10 disposals 6 kicks 4 handballs 3 marks 2 tackles 32 hit outs 70 dream team points Matt Jones 1 goal 1 behind 31 disposals 13 kicks 18 handballs 12 marks 4 tackles 134 dream team points Oscar McDonald 1 goal 11 disposals 5 kicks 6 handballs 5 marks 48 dream team points Jordie McKenzie 20 disposals 9 kicks 11 handballs 2 marks 4 tackles 73 dream team points Viv Michie 1 behind 25 disposals 17 kicks 8 handballs 6 marks 2 tackles 96 dream team points Alex Neal-Bullen 19 disposals 11 kicks 8 handballs 4 marks 7 tackles 77 dream team points Aidan Riley 18 disposals 4 kicks 14 handballs 1 marks 4 tackles 56 dream team points Dean Terlich 1 behind 25 disposals 17 kicks 8 handballs 4 marks 1 tackles 85 dream team points Mitch White 13 disposals 6 kicks 7 handballs 4 marks 45 dream team points In the Development League game, the Scorpions were headed at half time but kept the Zebras to just two goals after the main break to win by 19 points. Max King booted three goals in the vital third quarter. 2015 AFL Victoria Development League Casey Scorpions 4.3.27 4.3.27 10.4.64 12.6.78 Sandringham 2.0.12 7.3.45 7.4.46 9.5.59 Goals Casey Scorpions King 3 Lang Scott K Wilson 2 Page Rosier, Paredes Sandringham Kreymborg 4 McTaggart 3 Brown Harris Best Casey Scorpions Corrigan Scott Wilson Page Paredes Anderson Sandringham Verma Coates Noone Payne Brown Murdoch Disposals Scott 30 K Wilson 29 Paredes 27 Page 21 Anderson 20

It was a great game from Christian Salem but Tom McDonald continues in his merry way. Progressive voting 96. Tom McDonald 35. Jesse Hogan Nathan Jones 30. Christian Salem 25. Jeffrey Garlett 24. Bernie Vince 22. Jack Viney 18. Daniel Cross 17. Colin Garland 15. Angus Brayshaw Aaron vandenBerg 10. Neville Jetta 7. Jack Watts 4. Lynden Dunn Mark Jamar Viv Michie Ben Newton Cam Pedersen Jimmy Toumpas 3. Heritier Lubumba 1. Jack Grimes Dom Tyson

ANOTHER FAIRY TALE FRACTURED by George on the Outer On a Saturday when the Saints come back from 10 goals down, and the Giants beat the reigning premier, the stage was set for a fairy-tale triple header with Melbourne facing the in-form Sydney. And while there was some sort of comeback as the Demons kicked five or the last six goals to add some respectability to the score, a first half solitary goal and a six goal deficit meant the match was over by half-time. The only fairy-tale was a first game, first kick goal by Billy Stretch, but given that was all the Demons could muster in 50 minutes of football, only those supporters who believed in fairies had any hope of a resurgence. The Swans showed the Demons what was necessary to play top-line AFL football but sadly the message will bypass many who took to the field. They are simply not up to AFL standard themselves and show no promise of ever reaching that standard. Tommy Mac and Nathan Jones know what it is all about, but the critical observation is that the next best of our players, Hogan, Lamumba, Vince, Cross, Tyson, Brayshaw, Salem and Garlett weren’t at the club 2 years ago. The team is still filled with the old guard who learnt their football from the likes of a player who had “gone west” and found out that discipline and commitment is a prerequisite to getting a game. The simple lack of depth of quality in the side is now strikingly apparent. Many have questioned how Watts, Howe and others continue to get a game, rightly so. Stretch, a draftee who didn’t play last week is called up to the senior list to fill a gap. Spencer is elevated to the firsts, yet cannot jump off the ground, kick nor mark the ball to this day. And when Dawes and Tyson sustain leg/knee injuries during the game and can only move at half pace, the stocks become even lower. Meanwhile, down at Casey who is pushing to replace these types….no-one of merit. The names that keep getting suggested on this site are those that have been tried and failed before. And so the senior list is filled with these NQR players. The few glimmers of hope for the fans is that there is some genuine talent already here. Hogan continues to impress, Salem is poetry in motion and has that fierce desire to compete at all times. Stretch, even in his first game, was not overwhelmed and although still lightly built has skills similar to his old man. Tom McDonald continues to grow each week and surely must be a certainty for AA selection on his current form. He has played on the best forwards in the competition and has nullified the likes of Cameron, Riewoldt, Walker and now Franklin. His determination and emergence as a player who last year had disposal and decision making problems is a true credit to himself. Yes, the fairy tale wasn’t forthcoming. Yes, we weren’t blown away by a team that played in a Grand Final only 7 matches ago, and that surely shows some improvement from where we were. And yes, there are some players who will develop into something special. If we want some fairy-tales to emerge they will only happen with hard work. They won’t happen for those players who are “living the dream” and nothing more. For them the fairy tale will become fractured in 3 or 4 months time! Melbourne 1.1.7 1.3.9 4.5.29 7.8.50 Sydney Swans 4.3 7.6 11.9.75 12.16.88 Goals Melbourne Garlett Hogan 2 Dawes Newton Stretch Sydney Swans Tippett 4 Kennedy 2 Goodes Hannebery Jetta McGlynn Parker, Pyke Best Melbourne T McDonald Salem N Jones Hogan Vince Sydney Swans Mitchell Kennedy Tippett Jack Parker Jetta McVeigh Changes Melbourne Nil Sydney Swans Nil Injuries Melbourne Dawes (right knee) Tyson (left knee) Sydney Swans Hannebery (left ankle) Heeney (right knee) Lloyd (ankle) Substitutions Melbourne Watts replaced Pedersen in the third quarter. Sydney Swans Goodes replaced Heeney in the second quarter. Reports Melbourne Nil Sydney Swans Nil Umpires Margetts Findlay Harris Official Crowd 26,894 at the MCG

ANOTHER FAIRY TALE FRACTURED by George on the Outer On a Saturday when the Saints come back from 10 goals down, and the Giants beat the reigning premier, the stage was set for a fairy-tale triple header with Melbourne facing the in-form Sydney. And while there was some sort of comeback as the Demons kicked five or the last six goals to add some respectability to the score, a first half solitary goal and a six goal deficit meant the match was over by half-time. The only fairy-tale was a first game, first kick goal by Billy Stretch, but given that was all the Demons could muster in 50 minutes of football, only those supporters who believed in fairies had any hope of a resurgence. The Swans showed the Demons what was necessary to play top-line AFL football but sadly the message will bypass many who took to the field. They are simply not up to AFL standard themselves and show no promise of ever reaching that standard. Tommy Mac and Nathan Jones know what it is all about, but the critical observation is that the next best of our players, Hogan, Lamumba, Vince, Cross, Tyson, Brayshaw, Salem and Garlett werent at the club 2 years ago. The team is still filled with the old guard who learnt their football from the likes of a player who had gone west and found out that discipline and commitment is a prerequisite to getting a game. The simple lack of depth of quality in the side is now strikingly apparent. Many have questioned how Watts, Howe and others continue to get a game, rightly so. Stretch, a draftee who didnt play last week is called up to the senior list to fill a gap. Spencer is elevated to the firsts, yet cannot jump off the ground, kick nor mark the ball to this day. And when Dawes and Tyson sustain leg/knee injuries during the game and can only move at half pace, the stocks become even lower. Meanwhile, down at Casey who is pushing to replace these types.no-one of merit. The names that keep getting suggested on this site are those that have been tried and failed before. And so the senior list is filled with these NQR players. The few glimmers of hope for the fans is that there is some genuine talent already here. Hogan continues to impress, Salem is poetry in motion and has that fierce desire to compete at all times. Stretch, even in his first game, was not overwhelmed and although still lightly built has skills similar to his old man. Tom McDonald continues to grow each week and surely must be a certainty for AA selection on his current form. He has played on the best forwards in the competition and has nullified the likes of Cameron, Riewoldt, Walker and now Franklin. His determination and emergence as a player who last year had disposal and decision making problems is a true credit to himself. Yes, the fairy tale wasnt forthcoming. Yes, we werent blown away by a team that played in a Grand Final only 7 matches ago, and that surely shows some improvement from where we were. And yes, there are some players who will develop into something special. If we want some fairy-tales to emerge they will only happen with hard work. They wont happen for those players who are living the dream and nothing more. For them the fairy tale will become fractured in 3 or 4 months time! Melbourne 1.1.7 1.3.9 4.5.29 7.8.50 Sydney Swans 4.3 7.6 11.9.75 12.16.88 Goals Melbourne Garlett Hogan 2 Dawes Newton Stretch Sydney Swans Tippett 4 Kennedy 2 Goodes Hannebery Jetta McGlynn Parker, Pyke Best Melbourne T McDonald Salem N Jones Hogan Vince Sydney Swans Mitchell Kennedy Tippett Jack Parker Jetta McVeigh Changes Melbourne Nil Sydney Swans Nil Injuries Melbourne Dawes (right knee) Tyson (left knee) Sydney Swans Hannebery (left ankle) Heeney (right knee) Lloyd (ankle) Substitutions Melbourne Watts replaced Pedersen in the third quarter. Sydney Swans Goodes replaced Heeney in the second quarter. Reports Melbourne Nil Sydney Swans Nil Umpires Margetts Findlay Harris Official Crowd 26,894 at the MCG